The Lex 20 Pence Indie Prize: THE SHORTLIST

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

After much deliberation the shortlist for The Lex 20p Indie Prize has been announced:

The Automatic
Camera Obscura
The Feeling
The Guillemots
Kasabian
The Kooks
Lily Allen
The Pipettes
Test Icicles
The Young Knives

All of these acts* have been nominated BY POPTIMISTS for their vital contributions to INDIE over the last 12 months. Let the debate commence!

Comments

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

The Automatic should win. I am certain of this because of the following points:
1. They are not just good on 'Monster' they are good all over their album.
2. They understand the finer points of being shouty whilst maintaining a fiendishly catchy melody.
3. They are Welsh but not Lostprophets or Funeral For A Friend. We must really stop the latter two bands being what Wales is known for, in terms of current music.
4. Singer's fit, innee?
5. The Automatic are, in some ways, a bit like Pulp and that can only be construed as good by most people that aren't Lex.
6. A lot of the other bands on that list are almost frighteningly twee and tweeness is not something I personally would like to stand for. Having grown up in a twee place, I can say that The Automatic sound a lot like a reaction to twee and so this is valid'n'interesting and a bit Against The Grain. And I really don't want The Pipettes to win because although I quite like them they get rapidly irritating.

I cannot vote for Test Icicles because I bought The Automatic's album rather than theirs one fateful day in Brighton awhile ago, although I personally thought they were bloody brilliant.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

The Automatic are, in some ways, a bit like Pulp

as i have only heard the monster song, could you expand on this a bit pls?

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Their album is danceable, yet also occasionally melancholy and pretty damned socially aware (much more so than you'd expect) and, uh... ok, my logic was a bit flawed but something about 'Not Accepted Anywhere' reminded me of Pulp.

'Raoul' is actually noticeably better than 'Monster,' as their singles go, although admitedly lacks Bigfoot-dancing in the video so maybe could come under 'must try harder.' It is about sandwiches, though, so that's always good.